The employment conditions facing final year PhD students and early career historians in the history of health and medicine are very challenging. While funding is available for postgraduate research, grants are few and becoming increasingly competitive. Moreover, the transition period between finishing a PhD and gaining permanent employment in academic departments is very difficult and can involve years of part-time and temporary contracts.

This workshop is specifically aimed at early career researchers and teachers. It will provide both a forum for advice and a social event to allow time to meet established academics, publishers, editors and future colleagues. Our panel of experts can provide helpful advice about designing a successful grant application, how to get an article accepted in top rated health history journals and how best to approach a publisher with a book proposal. The wine reception will allow participants to build networks with colleagues at a similar stage in their career, as well as with experts.

The topics to be covered at the workshop include:

How do I make the first and indeed, continuing steps from PhD to permanent post?

How do I get an article published in a health history journal?

How do I put together a book proposal that will be attractive to a series editor and publisher? (This includes how do I turn my PhD into a publishable book?)

What is the best way to get a series editor or publisher interested in my proposal?

How do I put together a successful grant application – particularly to the Wellcome Trust? And, if I am successful enough to pass the first stage of the application, how do I approach the interview stage?

The panellists at the event will be:

Professor Peter Kirby, Director of the Centre for the Social History of Health and Healthcare, Glasgow (Chair).

Professor Jim Mills, University of Strathclyde and member of the Wellcome Trust Medical History and Humanities Expert Review Group.

Dr Keir Waddington, University of Cardiff and series editor for the Society for the Social History of Medicine volume series with Pickering and Chatto.

Dr Sanjoy Battacharya, University of York and editor of Medical History.

To register for this event, please visit this web site. There are travel bursaries available for attendees: please complete the bursary form. The submission deadline is 31 May 2012: please email completed bursary application forms to Rhona Blincow.